Push the Clouds
by Sir Egg of Breakfast
Summary: "When I was a child I thought if I grew tall enough I would just be able to push the clouds over…" Seventeen year old Matthew Webb is convinced his scientific name is Introvertus Maximus and he intended to stay that way. He did not expect to become involved with an alcoholic werewolf and a vampire that has been to a comic con on nearly every continent. But it happened anyway.
1. Chapter 1

Matthew Webb despised airport terminals.

He personally ranked them between school and hell in terms of places he tried to avoid. It was everything about them- the smell would be the main thing. The smell that crossed continents and lingered for hours after leaving. The smell of staleness. The stale clothes, spilt food and drink, the smell you get after being cooped up in a claustrophobic little tin can for hours.

Matthew shuddered and tried not to remember the Cucumber Incident on flight 97.

He paused to look up at the doors again, shielding his eyes from the intense American sun. The airport terminal was mostly glass and metal bannisters, giving an impression of light and air. There were a few posters of various airport staff, all with painfully wide smiles, standing around shiny aircraft. A few tourists were scattered about- it was early morning in America, but midday on Matthews's internal English clock.

He really hadn't known what to expect from America, and in truth he still didn't. The sky still looked mostly the same from the plane, just a high definition brighter version. The people were friendlier- Matthew gathered that Americans were extrovertly friendly, compared to the British introvert style friendly.

Oh, and rubber meant something _very_ different in America, Matthew thought as he cringed back to the gift shop incident.

But he was a Stranger in a Strange Land (he wasn't actually reading the book but thought the reference would have been much greater if he had) and he was going to be some sort of permanent tourist. He was just waiting for his Uncle Charlie to get here. He had only vague memories of Charlie and his daughter, what was her name, Belle? No that was the beauty and the beast. Matthew shrugged internally. He had either memorize it quickly or ask her to wear a name badge.

Charlie was his Mums brother. His mum had been American, but had gone to Britain to live with his dad. She had died giving birth to him- his memories of her were even vaguer than his memories of Charlie. It didn't constantly depress Matthew because it wasn't like he'd known her too long. It was more like he felt a lingering sadness, every time he thought about what could have been.

He shouldn't be getting Emo in the middle of the airports Dunkin Donuts. He should be… well he didn't know what he should be doing, but it felt like he should've been doing more than thinking for so long his coffee had gone cold and he had been staring at the same half a donut on the floor for fifteen minutes. But it was the mystery of the half donut- _why was it there? Who dropped it? What story do you have to tell me, silent donut?_

Matthew gave the airport a once-over for the, oh, only the sixty seventh time. He felt uncomfortably like the centre of attention- two staff members had already stopped and asked if he needed help finding his parents. Matthew supposed he was seventeen going on seven. Matthew had blushed and stammered out a no. Or maybe it was a nope. But a nope sounded too casual what if they thought he had been taking the piss-

"Er, hello Matt." Matthew jumped and spilt cold coffee over himself. He felt his cheeks grow warm and panicked, and awkwardly collided with the man behind him as they both scrambled for napkins.

The man – _oh god he's a police man, please don't let him ask me if I need help finding my parents, or shoot me or anything_ Matthew rambled internally, while grabbing about eight napkins at once and unceremoniously dumping them in the spilt coffee.

He then looked back up at the police officer. "Um-I, er-" Matthew began and mentally kicked himself. "Er, Charlie?" He said and blushed, and busied himself by sweeping the napkins around a little.

"Hello Matt." Charlie said gruffly. He seemed less affected by Matthews complete failure of an introduction than Matthew himself was. They quickly walked out of the donut place, Matthew feeling guilty over the venomous looks one of the staff sent him as she crouched over the spilt coffee.

They walked in awkward silence for a while- Matthew had no idea what to say next _. So, how is my cousin who I haven't seen since I was four? How're you doing Charlie? Watch that last episode of Doctor Who? How many penguins does it take to change a lightbulb?_

They were all terrible conversation starters. Especially because he couldn't remember the penguin joke punchline.

"I'm sorry about your dad Matt." Charlie said softly, with more kindness than Matthew had been expecting. It felt like Matthew had been punched in the stomach- he was just trying to forget.

"Thanks." Matthew said, because he had no idea what to say or do.

Charlie smiled at him and quickly changed topic. "I took the truck down- from a friend of mine. Borrowed it from Bella, just for today." Bella owned a vehicle? Matthew was used to using stagecoach buses to get everywhere. Or walking in the rain which was not nearly as much fun as singing in the rain.

Speaking of rain, Forks was (according to Charlie on one hurried phone call in the mid-Atlantic) a place where the rain never stops. True to his words, when they stepped outside the rain was falling thick and fast. Matthew smiled- he had always liked the rain. It was oddly comforting to know the weather had followed him.

Bella's truck was a Chevy (again according to Charlie when it came to cars Matthew knew even less than Jon Snow) and bore the signs of previous owners. But it looked like a loved little car –er, truck- and Matthew liked it. If it had been on a Disney film it would have been the lovable clumsy talking car sidekick. Hang on, there actually was a rusted red truck in one of the Cars films. Conspiracy? Matthew thought so.

Climbing into the passenger seat, but only on his second go as he had originally got in on the wrong side.

"Thanks for taking me in Charlie. Er, can I call you Charlie?" Matthew said as Charlie pulled out of the car park- parking lot? There was an American word for it. Nope, he couldn't remember.

"Course."

Matthew yawned wildly, feeling jetlag catching up. It was morning ish, but he hadn't slept at all on the plane, or much back in England. He lay his head on the window and thought about sleep. Which was probably the worst strategy for sleep. He had his first proper look at Forks through the window- Liverpool, where Matt had lived with his dad, was a city of grey- England was very grey. Grey concrete, grey sky, Earl Grey tea and most people had a grey tinge to their skin from lack of sunlight. Forks, on the other hand, was a green and clean sort of place. Green grass, green moss and ferns. Matthew thought it was beautiful, even if the founders of Forks had failed by not calling it the Emerald City.

He sneaked another look at Charlie, who looked tired and in need of a coffee. Matthew felt suddenly grateful to him- how mental was Charlie, taking in another teenager from another continent and getting Matthew enrolled in school and a million other things? But he must be so kind to do it.

He didn't feel completely comfortable around Charlie, but nor did he feel completely awkward. It was a start. He wanted to get to know his uncle and cousin more. Family, unlike regular people, could not hit you over the head and call you a wankerweasel (which sadly had happened to Matthew on more than one occasion throughout high school). It wouldn't be polite.

Matthew rested his head on the cool window and tried to close his eyes- but out of the corner of his eye, just for a second, he could've sworn there was some sort of sparkle or something. Probably just the sun reflecting off a satellite disk. Matthew rested his head on the window and eventually fell asleep, his breathing blending in with the rumble of the truck engine.

 **This was just an intro chapter. I'm trying to think of something really clever to put here but my eyes hurt and if you stopped to read this pointless bold bit you are my new hero.**


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew felt a little like he was freefalling. Of all things to have happened next... a high school.

But he was more than a little disturbed by the dramatic difference between English and American schools, and he hadn't even gone _into_ the school. They drove into school, for one thing, in Bella's truck and not a Stagecoach bus that was full of pre-chewed chewing gum and smelt of electronic cigarettes and feet.

Bella slamming her door shut snapped Matthew out of his stroll down memory lane. He quickly followed her out of truck. Bella was quiet… not exactly quiet but introverted. Similar to Charlie (and admittedly himself) in that regard. It wasn't like they hadn't had conversations but their conversations rarely stretched beyond five minutes. He ate meals in silence while Bella and Charlie made small talk. It made him miss meals at home, where his dad was always moaning about Manchester City and Matthew was moaning about how not supporting Liverpool was unpatriotic (though he did not watch football). It was a contrast with Casa de Swan, where everything just felt so awkward. And he missed his dad. One of the few people he had always opened up to wasn't… Matthew blinked very hard and told himself those were not tears forming, it was just the rain.

It was not raining.

The school was like any other school. A squat, maroon coloured building. Bella stared at it, almost like she was waiting for it to attack her.

"Are you, uh, alright?" Matthew asked. _Why can't I say something without an um or an eh?_

"There's no security." Bella said with something between disgust and awe in her voice. Matthew tried to recall his own high school and sixth form. There had been a fence for one, nothing for the other. He honestly didn't know what she expected- barbed wire fences? Attack dogs? Missiles to ward of the threat of space aliens? Maybe Phoenix was like that.

Matthew decided he needed to say a sentence that was witty and humorous and eloquent.

"Er…" He began, and then just as abruptly ended.

"It just wasn't what I was expecting. We should probably go to the office." And with those parting words, Bella headed towards the school (which really began to seem similar to a red bricked toad squatting in the mud) with Matthew following in her wake.

By lunchtime Matthew was in an awful mood and had come to the conclusion everyone in the school was deliberately trying to piss him off (he hoped for the sake of humanity nobody could willingly be that ridiculous) or part of an elaborate joke. Or both.

The lessons had been intimidating. He had to learn a new syllabus, and following that to later have to take enough exams to give a genius a headache and he was seriously considering crawling under a lunch table and never coming out, given that he had a double of PE after lunch.

But the main problem was Bella, or more specifically the creepy reaction everyone had to her. He had lost count of how many people followed Bella with their eyes and sometimes stalked her through the halls like she was American Jesus. Just Bella- Matthew had walked away from her to test his theory and had found people alienated him as if he were Jar Jar Binks. But he couldn't stay away because he didn't know anyone else and the alternative was talking to people which he wasn't emotionally ready for. Thinking back to everyone they had met, he decided he was OK with not meeting anyone else.

William was one who stuck out- he had acne to rival Matthews (though Matthew thought his acne was the acne to rule all acne, but he was bias) and black hair that he had done some weird back come with to look like a 1930s gangster. Matthew had been treated to one awkward conversation, where William and Bella discussed their schedules and the weather (Matthew prayed for a lightning bolt to hit him and end the pain) and at the end when Bella had left (Matthew realized too late he had an entirely different class) William told Matthew _to stay the hell away from Bella if he liked his face the way it was_ drawling his words like an awful imitation of a gangster.

Matthew had awkwardly (his awkward-o-meter was off the scale) explained she was his cousin and William had said, _so? She's a good lookin gal_ Matthew shuddered at the memory and resolved to avoid William for… forever might be long enough but he doubted he could ever forget that grease stain in the café of humanity. Bella had later labelled William over helpful which Matthew did think was a little harsh, as William had only been showing her the way to her next lesson. But on the other hand William was a tosser.

Matthew had deliberately come late to lunch (he had hid in the toilets, scrolling through old photos only to realize how pointless all the pictures were. Hed deleted them all and immediately regretted it. Stupid teenage angst) trying to avoid the Bella Swan Obsession Group. Particularly William Lannister (Matthew had dubbed him that for lack of real surname) and Mike Bike (again no real surname, but it rhymed that was the important part) two of the main admirers of Bella. He remembered Mikes name from his Math class which, as Matthew was horrified to discover, the removal of one letter did not make Math any different from Maths.

He moodily slammed his tray down on a table near the back of the hall making the other two people already sitting down jump- Matthew had been so absorbed in the pros and cons of going to live in a trash heap with the rest of the trash that he hadn't noticed the people. "I- er, sorry. I didn't mean to drop it."

"It's fine." The boy to Matthews left muttered, as he shuffled some playing cards in his left hand. He appeared to be well practiced with them- he shuffled them while simultaneously building a pyramid out of the meatballs and spaghetti on his plate. Matthew wished he was that talented.

"Can I sit?" Matthew asked and then felt like he might as well have a neon sign that said HUGE DORK. Probably in green because he was cursed. And green wasn't a creative colour.

"That is usually what you do at a table." The girl to his right drawled, and bounced a rubber- no it was an eraser- off the table to knock over the food pyramid which Matthew found equally impressive. The boy scowled.

"That was sabotage and you know it Kate." He didn't sound annoyed- just more amused than anything.

"Your word against mine. I'll see you in court, Robert." She said formally, then snorted.

Matthew sat and looked properly at the two- Kate had blonde hair with blue streaks dyed in. Her eyes were blue and she had a look like she could and would beat you up. The kind of teenager whom grandparents crossed the road to avoid. Robert on the other hand was wearing a shirt and tie combo with jeans and trainers. Unusually he had piano key suspenders holding his jeans up (was it dress like a 1930s mafia day?). He was black and had glasses that distorted his eyes making him look like little like a fish. Though Matthew himself wasn't exactly winning any prizes in the looks department.

"So who are you, Mr. Drop-yo-tray?" she said it in the style of steal-yo-girl. "Matthew." Matthew said nervously in a voice a few octaves higher than he would've liked. "It's, erm, nice to meet you." He added, assuming being polite might win him a few extra points with the few people who didn't seem to be crowding around Bella like lost sheep to a flock. "Likewise Matt." Robert replied, while reconstructing his tower. He didn't seem to be eating it oddly. "I-I know this might sound intrusive but do you practice food sculpting a lot?" Matthew asked- then immediately wished he could take the words back. _God, nice going genius_. He told himself. _Shut up_ he replied to himself. _Just another friendly conversation between me myself and I._

"I guess it's a hobby." Robert said, too focused on reconstructing his tower- then his eyes slid to the left and he abruptly dropped his fork into the tower, knocking it over. Matthew turned around trying to view what Robert was- Bella Swan Mob just ahead, a few random stragglers (wondering in a way similar to zombies) near the entrance and exit, a couple of tables of random kids all around (Matthew labelled them Hopefully Normal).

"Who are you looking at?" Matthew blustered out, too focused to realize the rudeness of what he had just said. "Sorry I mean- not that I meant- that was rude sorry." He stammered.

Kate placed both elbows on the table and leaned in conspiratorially close. "Oh, you know. The usual. Just the table of vampires that want to kill him as he sleeps." She smiled, the ketchup from her burger looking a little like blood.

" _What?"_

 **It has been forever since I've updated I know- ill try for monthly updates because the work load so far has been intense and its only just slowing down now thanks to Christmas (Yay). Anyway this really isn't how its going to go- Matthew wont instantly believe anyone about vampires and I have the next few chapters planned out. So yeah, feedback would be very helpful but I just appreciate you clicking on this :3**


	3. Chapter 3

"Yeah, _what_ indeed." Kate said and stared pointedly at Robert, who had reverted to a sudden statue like stillness with his eyes firmly fixed at a spot in the distance. Matthew felt uncomfortable, even more so by the fact that he didn't appear to be blinking.

"Do you mean role playing or something?" Matthew asked to try to (futilely) break the tension. It would certainly explain Roberts's embarrassment. "And what table- do you mean the one with the big crowd around it, or…" He suddenly dropped off, realizing he was probing far too much into the business of strangers.

"Yeah, of course." Robert said, snapping back to alertness for a minute, about the same time Kate said "No, of course not." They stared at each other for a minute, reminding Matthew of two kids who had come up with completely different alibis. "I'm pretty sure they –the Cullens" She paused, adding for Matthews benefit "-don't technically want to kill Robby, just more brutally uproot him from his home and exile him- all in the name of justice and peace, I'm sure. Look you can see their hate filled stares from here!" She adopted a false tourist-esque excited voice. Matthew really had no idea what to say. Americans were much friendlier than he was used to (not necessarily a bad thing) yet this was another level.

The table Kate gestured to were easy to spot once pointed out- they were all unnaturally pale (even by English standards) as though all the blood had been drained from them. Very cliché, but also very accurate. They were also startlingly beautiful- there was a guy with honey blond hair who looked cute ( _Great time to think about your non-existent presence on the dating scene, genius_ , he chastised himself). Unnaturally beautiful. _Botox or something, probably, the laws might be different over here_ , not that Matthew knew very much about the international use of Botox. He noticed Bella at her table staring at them in fascination and felt a tinge of worry. He hoped she wasn't feeling overwhelmed over all this- he realized, with shame, he had not done very much to help her even after she had accepted him into her life without complaint. She was an awkward person, like him, and suddenly being mobbed with people… well how would Matthew have felt? He turned back round to Robert and Kate, feeling he had not been exactly subtle with his observations… although it was hard to be subtle when you were being stared at, spotlight style.

"It's really nothing like that, Matt. Just some people who don't like me that much. No big deal." Robert said, trying for a smile in Matthews's direction, yet the way he nervously picked at his thumb suggested otherwise. "Do bloodsucking vampires classify as people though?" Kate mused. "I dunno. Sounds like something for _The Big Questions_." Matthew received two blank looks at his reference and felt embarrassed. "It's just this show- we had to watch it in ethics back home." He mumbled while hating himself for being timid.

"So, how was it to look at your first couple of vampires?" Kate said, and Robert subtly tried to shake his head at her, before having to turn it into an awkward stretch as he noticed Matthew had noticed. Matthew laughed at the vampire thing, but stopped as he realized Kate and Robert both had completely straight faces. "Oh right, so what's his…" Matthew tried to think of a nice way to put it.

"You mean what crawled up his ass?" Kate said and glared right back at the copper haired guy, who Matthew noticed was staring most venomously.

"Yeah." Matthew said though it didn't seem necessary to reply but he wanted something to distract him from the Cullen Clubs intense glaring at Robert, who sat with his shoulders hunched trying to craft a meatball sphere (by far his most ambitious project yet) to replace his earlier fallen attempts. It unfortunately fell to pieces rather quickly. _Like my hopes and dreams_ , Matthew wryly thought to himself.

Robert accidently hit the table with his elbow, and the meatball tower (to replace the failed sphere) became a leaning tower of meatballs. "It's really nothing, they just don't approve of my lifestyle very much." He said. "So, where do you come from, Matt? I want to say Liverpool but I've never been there so im not exactly sure… I did go to Manchester once, though. Lost my wallet there. Had a sixpence in it, too." he smiled at the memory. Matthew was not tactless enough to ignore the olive branch of conversation change (and evidently neither was Kate) and they began a discussion on the differences between America and England (mostly soccer v football, Ilvermorney v Hogwarts and colour v color, where Matthew was outvoted by process of democracy on all bar Hogwarts which they all agreed was the better of the two if just for the fact more information was provided about it).

It wasn't until much later, after a tea that he had helped Bella cook (to the best of his limited ability as someone who's main food source had once been dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, she had ended up teaching him more than anything) that he remembered the money that Robert had mentioned losing. At the time he thought he meant six pence, as in six cents, but had he meant sixpence as in the old currency by the way he had said a sixpence, not six pence- one sixth of a shilling. But that didn't mean anything right? it was a minute detail and Matthews permanently stressed out mind was only trying to find something small to fixate on to ignore the bigger problems like his dad. (That sounded like something Callum the Councillor might say, Matthew noted with distaste) Robert could have been lying about going to England to try to impress Matthew, though he didn't seem the type. Yet it sent a chill down Matthews's spine as he lay up staring at the ceiling that night. He wasn't going to question it though.

He knew too well that everybody had their own secrets.

 **Hope you liked it guys (^-^)** **and thanks for clicking on this** **fic especially if you made it this far!**


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks was just enough time to learn how to make a decent lasagne, as it turned out.

Matthew had slowly grown closer to Bella through learning how to cook- she had moved up from acquaintance to friendly acquaintance, and Matthew was holding out for friend. He hadn't really understood why she had come to live with Charlie (she had mentioned something about giving her mum and stepdad more space? Matthew had bitterly thought his reason was a damn sight worse, even though he had felt beyond guilty for thinking so) and although they saw less of each other at school things were far better at home. He had even tried to ask her about the Cullen's, once.

"Hey Bella?" He asked, as he tried to brush the flour remains off his already flour-pale skin. "What do you think about the Cullen family? The ones everyone fangirls over- keeping up with the Cullen's style." He was curious- he knew so little about them other than Kates snarky remarks and Roberts denial that their sullen attitude towards him was anything serious ( _ha sullen, Cullen_ Matthew thought to himself). Bella immediately stiffened and turned to him. "Why- has Edward said anything about me?" she said nervously behind her fringe. "Do you have a crush on him? He's handsome, but not exactly charming." Matthew said nosily, feeling comfortable enough with Bella to speak his mind a little. Bella blew a strand of hair out of her face, lost in thought.

"No not like that. He just seems to dislike me an awful lot. Which is weird, considering how friendly everyone else has been… and I haven't done anything to him." Bella said sounding oddly guilty even though it wasn't her fault. "Don't feel bad Bella, he's just a loser. He was really mad at my friend Robert the other day, wouldn't stop glaring at him." Matthew had been trying for reassuring but might have ended up with gossip, he reflected. She smiled at him. "Thanks, Matthew. It's just a little off putting, I suppose. I don't think he liked how I smell?" She was genuinely puzzled, as was Matthew. "Who nose what's wrong with him?" Matthew said, proud of his pun. "That was a truly unforgivable pun Matthew." Bella mock sighed. _I think you mean pun-forgivable_ , Matthew thought but felt too anxious to say it out loud in case his puns were really annoying her. "But it was odd. He moved as far away as he could from me… it was a miracle he could still stay sat on his chair. He even tried to change his schedule. I just can't imagine what I've done to offend someone that much." Matthew felt bad for Bella- Cullen didn't seem to be worth the effort of hating him, yet it was difficult not to.

Matthew was puzzled by Cullen- the easy explanation was he was a Justin Beiber like figure, expecting his childish whims as law. Yet with the hatred he had stared at Robert… and that wasn't all. He had once been with Kate and Robert when some of the Cullens had approached them. The copper haired one –Edward himself, whom Kate later dubbed the Ed-tard- one who was built like a bodybuilder or an overly muscled superhero (Emmett or something similar) and the shockingly beautiful blonde girl who he was dating apparently, named Rosalie. (Not that Matthew would be interested in _any_ girl, but even he recognized the magazine cover beautiful that the Cullens embodied).

"You can't be here, Kingston. You are already violating the terms of the treaty that we have had for centuries by continuing to associate with someone like her." Edward began self-righteously, as Matthews distaste for Edward deepened into hatred. Edward also wrinkled his nose at Kate, like she smelt funny or something though Matthew smelt nothingout of the ordinary _. Jerk_ Matthew thought, staring at him as he remembered what Bella had said- _I don't think he liked how I smell?_ Just as he thought it Edwards eyes suddenly jolted to Matthews own, who looked down awkwardly.

" _She_ can also be addressed by name, but I understand the specifies of names can be difficult for someone with your brain capacity to remember, Cullen." Kate said with anger, as she squeezed Roberts hand in a gesture of comfort. Emmett, the one who reminded Matthew of a bear, spread his arms in a gesture of peace. "Look, Edward, you might be taking this too far, especially around, _you know_ …" he tried to fake cough to cover up the last part, but Matthew had a feeling he was the _you know_. They nearly turned to leave but Rosalie turned back and pointed a finger threateningly at Robert. "Don't think you can ever forget about what you did. _I_ certainly won't." Robert, who had done his best to remain impassive throughout the whole encounter, suddenly stiffened and looked at the floor. When Matthew had asked about it Robert snarled and said, _just drop it_. Robert apologized later, yet both Matthew and Kate could take a hint and had resolved to try to make the mood lighter. Unsuccessfully. Luckily Robert soon returned to normal within the coming days and there had been no more encounters with the Cullens- so far.

Matthew did like Kate and Robert, in spite of Kates insistence she was a werewolf and Robert a vampire (Robert frequently protested this and claimed it was a role play which Matthew was inclined to believe- as if anyone who was a supernatural creature would hang around in _high school_ of all places). Kate was funny and tough, and she never hesitated to have a go at any of the Cullen's around Robert. She also was a very genuine person- Matthew liked that. They both had a shared interest in reading as well which Matthew was grateful for- it was brilliant to have someone to share books with. Robert on the other hand was clever and kind and would help anyone with anything if they needed it- in lessons he was the go to guy for information, more so than some of the teachers. He also was incredibly enthusiastic about everything from video games to anime and he and Matthew had spent many hours discussing both. Matthew felt as though happiness was a warm sun in him, allowing him to grow out of his shell a little. He had never really had friends like this before… proper friends, where he wasn't awkwardly hanging on the fringes of a group who didn't even notice when he had left.

But his mind still nagged at him- this is _wrong, wrong, wrong_. Like he was play acting, a little kid playing at house. He knew he would have to face what had happened eventually (Callum always preached that) but each day he decided today was not that day. And in all honestly _repressing his emotions_ (as Callum had dubbed it) was working out fine for him so far. So Callum could shove it. He didn't really need a psychiatrist anyway- Callum was just some guy they made him talk to about his feelings with. It would've been easier if Callum was difficult to take seriously (like some healing crystal loser or whatever) but he wasn't. He even had the nerve to like the same bands as Matthew.

The Bella Swan Club (After hesitantly telling Kate about his observations she dubbed it the Bull Shitters Club) still maintained their deity-like worship of Bella. Honestly Matthew felt he should order a restraining order. He was a little (Okay more than a little) jealous, if he was being honest. Making friends had never come naturally to him and here was Bella, even with admirers. He had never found it easy to try to talk to people in a romantic sense- trying to ask a boy out was out of the question. The thought made his knees weak with fear (which was obviously very heroic). What if the boy Matthew asked turned out to be straight? The thought gave him anxiety. More anxiety than regular, non-dating talking.

But nether the less Bella was settling in enviably well- except for Edward Cullen. He remembered her talking about him- Edward seemed like an immature ass. Matthew felt bad for her- to have someone hate you like that for no reason? Douche. It was the same with Robert- Edward was a double-douche. Matthew had become particularly concerned about Edward- his blatant hatred of Robert worried Matthew more and more. The only theory he had was that Edward was racist, yet he never saw him treat anyone else as badly as he treated Robert. Maybe he was just a rich kid bully (after weeks of realizing the Cullens wore different brands of designer clothing daily, and seeing their cars Matthew had come to that conclusion).

Matthew had been lost in thought for so long that he had been merely staring at the screen- he noticed his avatar had already been brutally killed in the game. _If I can't look after one pixel generated character then I am not ready to look after children_. _Maybe a goldfish might be more at my parenting standard. Have to be a plastic fish though_. Matthew flicked the screen off. It was probably late enough for him to start regretting his life choices, like all the other hours he had wasted.

There was a hurried rush of footsteps up the stairs and Charlie emerged, frantic, car keys in hand. Matthew immediately knew something was wrong- maybe it was the expression of worry on Charlies face, or how his face was red from running, or how he was wearing a glove as a sock.

"We need to go quickly- Bella's been in an accident."

 **I feel like this was more of a filler chapter, with some insight into Matthews mind. I have more action planned for the next chapter to make up for the slow pacing of this one. Thank you for two follows and favourites I really appreciate them :)**


	5. Chapter 5

The thing about Forks was that news spread disturbingly quickly.

Matthew had rather cattily labelled it Small Town Syndrome (to explain the reaction over Bella's arrival for one thing). Where any news was good news- similar to the phrase any publicity is good publicity. Matthew knew he was being bitchy and whiny but he was also rather proud of himself. (Stick-it-on-the-fridge-door proud). Yet there was a certain sinisterness about it- Matthew estimated most people would know sooner, rather than later, that she had nearly been hit by a truck.

If Matthew was going to be cynical and brutally honest he didn't understand why they were at hospital- she hadn't actually been hit that badly. And didn't it cost a lot to do _anything_ in a hospital in America? _Shut up and be supportive_ , he told himself, _you're acting like a spoilt brat_. Yet it did little to change his mind, or improve on his bad mood.

 _Call me crazy but there's something a little disheartening about being abandoned next to a plastic plant in a plastic pot,_ Matthew thought _,_ next to said plant which was clearly a token of evil. Not to jump to conclusions. Although considering his earlier attitude it wasn't difficult to imagine why he had been abandoned. Though he hadn't said any of it aloud; perhaps Charlie was telepathic? _Yes because Forks is a breeding ground for the supernatural_. Matthew remembered Charlie running up to Bella in the car park asking if she was okay- it had hurt, as it had reminded him of his own father more than he cared to admit. Her response had been fine. It seemed to be the Generic Angsty Teen word of choice for Matthew. Now Matthew sat here, board, playing a solitary game of eye-spy with himself. He still hadn't been told which ward Bella was in, but had been told she wasn't in a serious danger which was lucky.

"Tyler! Hey, Tyler!" Matthew said suddenly, vaguely recognizing Tyler from his American History class walking by. "Oh, hi, Matt." Tyler said, sounding miserable. He looked like… well as Matthews gran would have said, like he had been through the mill a few times. "What happened- you look…" Matthew cut himself off realizing it might not be tactful to mention he was more blood stained bandages than flesh. "It was- er- my van that hit Bella. I feel so guilty." He admitted. "These things happen Tyler." Matthew said, feeling bad for him. "Yeah…" Tyler muttered staring off into space a little. "It's just… I've just been to see Bella and she said that Cullen guy pushed her aside." _Oh now he's a heroic asshole?_ Matthew thought snidely. "But I've been thinking about it. There's a dent in my van and I swear it-" Tyler stopped and looking Matthew in the eye. "You'll think I'm crazy." He warned. "Mate, after the day you've had I'd be surprised if you weren't a little crazy right now." Matthew said before he realized it might not be the most reassuring thing in the world. "Well Bella says he pushed her out of the way but- I swear it looks like there is a handprint on my car." He muttered the last part mostly to himself. Matthew felt his ear muscles straining to listen.

"It probably isn't anything, huh? Probably happened when the van smashed." Tyler said changing track. "Yeah sorry to bother you with my conspiracy theories Matt I'm just exhausted." "Go have a rest man. You'll feel better in the morning. Wait what ward is Bella on- I still haven't visited her yet." _And I'm only fulfilling my role of lousy family member_. "Er, I didn't get the number. Its round the corner, second on the left." _Far be it from me to not take directions from the guy with head injuries. God, I need to stop being catty about all this_. Matthew thought to himself.

Matthew began to walk down the hall. This seemed like a _Protagonist Plot_ \- where he was just meant to stick around and wait for answers to come to him with a series of Fortunately Placed Clues; no instead he was just going to have to bite the bullet and ask Kate and Robert about this ridiculous Cullen saga tomorrow.

Matthew thought, with a pang of sorrow so intense he felt his eyes burn from unshed tears, that maybe he was just going mad from his dad's coma. Maybe he wasn't. Either way he was going to find out.

Matthew had just been about to walk into the ward when he heard voices. Ducking behind a plant pot, ninja style, as he saw one of them was Cullen.

"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone was impassive- like that of a well-trained actor. He couldn't see Bella (he presumed that was who Cullen was talking to).

"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of menace now, and Matthew was reminded of his earlier encounter with Edward. "I'm not going to tell anybody." Bella said with deliberate slowness. "Then why does it matter?" Was Edward a serial killer? Matthew had once been scared beyond belief when he was seven by watching a TV documentary about Death Row- oh god what if Edward was planning to kill Bella and… and eat her face? _Really, eat her face?_ Matthew argued with himself. _Oh shut up!_

But Matthew didn't like this- not the way Edward was talking to her, like she didn't deserve to know why he had pushed her out of the way-

"-to let it go, are you?" Edward sighed.

"No." Bella said determinedly.

-Or dented Tyler's car or whatever had happened. Edward suddenly tensed.

"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment. Now I should go, your cousin has been listening from behind a plant pot for the last few minutes. He thinks I'm plotting to kill you." Edward said (in what Matthew eyes was obnoxiousness). Matthew was freaked out- he hadn't said that out loud, he was sure of it.

Matthew peeked out to see Bella's rage filled face directed at him, and he did the only reasonable thing- crouched back down and hid back behind the plant.

 **I tried to make Matthews character a little off in this chapter- he's impatient and didn't respect the privacy of their conversation. Because he is still treating this mystery like a game. Next chapter though his meeting with Kate and Robert won't go to plan and he will begin to learn the truth.**


	6. Chapter 6

To say Bella was mad at him would be an understatement; it would be like saying the ocean is only slightly damp.

She had been a storm cloud of anger for about two days now, Matthew reflected ruefully. He felt terrible- he didn't know why he had been so awful. Well… he did. There was so much fuss over Bella when his dad hadn't had anybody except him- and Matthew had nobody except his dad… who had now been taken away from him. It was so unfair. He had his gran in England, but she wasn't in any condition to look after a teenager with her arthritis and… he reflected, with a squirm of uncomfortableness, that she didn't particularly like his father, though she liked Matthew himself well enough. Edward Cullen creeped him out as well- how the hell had he known what Matthew had been thinking? The more he thought about it the more he wanted to imagine he had imagined it- yet he hadn't, he knew he hadn't. Tyler himself seemed to have cast any doubts about the dent aside, yet Matthew himself seemed unable to. Worst of all there had been no sign of Kate or Robert the precise people had had needed to speak to.

In other words, the Angsty Teen Sitcom style drama that was his current life appeared to be playing out nicely.

Matthew sighed morosely and clicked his pen nub in and out. Math (give or take an s) class was really not his forte. The teacher, Mr Burke, was not his favourite person either. He kept saying the _English are coming!_ Every time Matthew walked into class. He over exaggerated Matthews Britishness at every turn and when that had gotten no rise out of Matthew (at great cost admittedly) he had moved on to Matthews incapability to do Maths which was getting more of a rise out of him- he would ignore him if he put his hand up to ask for help; and call him rude if he then decided to call out. It was a Catch 22 situation. Robert and his scribbled notes were also Matthews's main source of revision- it was stressing him the hell out. He had years to catch up on and having the Umbridge-ite (admittedly Burke was no Umbridge but he wasn't exactly Miss Honey either) as a teacher was not helpful at all.

He looked over at Roberts's empty chair and felt another pang of disappointment. It wasn't just that he needed answers, they were his friends and without them he was just some background bloke with a funny accent. Nobody important. With them he was part of Kate, Robert and Matthew. There was a guy sitting behind Roberts's chair who had his feet up on Roberts's chair which Matthew felt an unexplainable spurt of anger at.

He was a knight in shining armour, defending the honour of a fair chair.

"Webb! Tell me, why is this gradient like your future?" Burke paused for dramatic effect to the half-asleep class on a dozy Wednesday morning. _Smarmy git_ , Matthew thought. "Because it's on a slippery slope downwards." He finished, and clapped his hands. There were one or two half-hearted snorts but most continued vacantly staring forwards. Matthew thought it was incredibly unfair- if his crime was daydreaming why was it only him who got the grief? "Good one, sir." He said when Burke did not immediately continue the lesson hoping it would be enough to get him to carry on. Burke seemed satisfied with this and turned back to the board.

The boy from earlier had his phone out and was making no effort to hide it, texting with his feet still up on Roberts chair. "Parson! Get your phone away at once! This is a place of education not the sort of hovel where you are free to lounge about as you would at home!" Parson held up his phone which was displaying the amazon homepage.

"Sorry, Mr Burke. I'm just trying to order a fuck to give about your opinion, seeing as I don't have any to give myself." Then he smiled sweetly and continued. "It should be here within three to five working days."

Then things, well, things only got worse.

"So, what's your name?" Parson asked as they walked away from the classroom much later. Parson was Indian, with seemingly effortlessly styled hair and a bouncy sort of charm that Matthew envied a little. He had a shirt with the Canadian flag on (which when he had noticed Matthew glancing at earlier had proudly sung the first line of _O Canada_ ) and wore paint splattered jeans and trainers which were doodled on with a marker pen to the extent that lines over crossed frequently.

"What?" Matthew said, both confused and with his ears still ringing from Burkes shouting. He had a voice like a foghorn. "All I hear Burke calling you is _that boy_ or _Webb_." Parsons said, doing a decent impression of Burke's gravelly tones that reminded Matthew a little of a bulldog.

"Matthew. Webb, I mean." Matthew floundered hating himself for his awkwardness. "Nice ta meet ya Webb. I'm Ryan, also known as Parsons by the lovely Mr Burke and occasionally as Rye Bread." He grinned. "Why did you help me?" Matthew asked cutting to the chase. In his experience (he thought back to high school was the unwarranted spurt of hate) nobody helped each other unless they wanted something out of it.

"I like talking back to Burke. I think he's a loser who only went into teaching to hassle people." He shrugged. "I like helping people. Like my mom says, _a hand in need wants a friendly deed_. She has a crochet of it and everything." He rolled his eyes but grinned fondly. Matthew wondered if that was something mums did. Bake biscuits? Knit? Other mum-ly things? The closest thing he had to that was a Mary Berry cookbook his dad owned.

"Well thanks." Matthew said then hoped it didn't sound sarcastic. "No problem, Matthew." He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up. "Don't be a stranger dude." He walked away, whistling. Matthew was sad to see him go.

He heard raised voices from behind the corner- sneaking around he peaked out only to see Kate and Robert. His first instinct was to run over freak out and rant but another impulse held him back- the same that had held him back to listen to Bella and Edward.

 _Do I really want to do this? Violate someone's privacy like this again by being a sneak?_ He cringed internally- but if they were saying something that might explain all the weirdness then the chances of them telling him if he went over dropped to minus numbers.

"Oh I'm sorry, I had no idea. You must be the only person in the world who had ever suffered. OH wait-" Kate sneered and did a harsh little laugh. "Kate you don't understand-" Robert pleaded, one hand nervously picking the skin off the knuckles of the other hand. "I understand perfectly. Just because Cullen thinks it's a bad idea you living here and maybe Matt heard something he shouldn't have- or suspects, whatever- you don't even want to try to make this work? You don't think Matt might accept what we are anyway? He's _one human_ , I don't care what Cullen thinks. And what about me and you, what happens to us? Robert _I love you_ and if you leave I won't just lie down and cry about it, I'll follow you because you don't have to face things alone you idiot!"

Robert wiped his eyes with his sleeves and Matthew realized he must have been crying. He felt ashamed- it was so wrong to be creeping on someone's vulnerability like this yet he was intrigued- Kate had used _human_ when referring to him. There was something very wrong in Forks and it was connected with the Cullens and Kate and Robert.

"I don't want to run because I'm noble. I- I want to run because I'm _scared_. I'm so damn scared because the last time a human found out about me I nearly died." He took a shaky breath and a sob heaved out of him. "I was only a hundred. I was young and foolish. It was a very long time ago- with a friend whom I thought I could trust. We worked together on a farm, we broke bread together. And the thing was Kate I hadn't _done_ anything. Not at that time. At that time I just wanted to live quietly." He furiously wiped his eyes again and Kate moved to put her arm around Robert, where he leaned into her as if comfort was a tangible substance he could hope to absorb from her.

"They saw me killing a sheep. I was living differently back then-" _A nomad?_ Matthew questioned himself silently.

"I was going to be burnt. Being burnt is my worst nightmare. The slowness, the way the flames licked up like tongues, ravenous…" Robert shuddered. "I would've died. I should've died. But I was saved by an old friend. That was when I… you know. I… it doesn't matter. It's been my worst nightmare since. Not just the fire, but betrayal. I was angry for decades about so much but that one moment of betrayal was the heart of it all."

 _Decades? Centuries?_ The two words whizzed around Matthews mind, a searing light in a dull background. The only two things he could really absorb. Robert was crazy, he had to be. Maybe someone had tried to burn him once and he had gone mad.

"It won't happen again. I swear it Robert, I won't let it." Kate's eyes burned furiously. "People don't change Kate. Not at heart. But I can't leave. I'm scared but if I leave just for the fear of fear I don't know who I will be anymore."

"I do love you." He said and shyly kissed her on the cheek. "We will make this work." She promised and Matthew felt all the more awful for witnessing all this. But he had learned. Was it worth it? _I don't know who I will be anymore_ the phrase echoed in Matthews mind.

He didn't exactly like what he was resorting to to achieve his goals.

Who exactly was he becoming?

Robert was a slow walker.

Matthew felt like he was in the world slowest action movie. He had decided to follow Robert and was waiting to find an opportunity to talk. He was waiting because of that not because he was scared of what would happen next. Definitely the first one. The sky was as cloudy as ever- an impenetrable grey mass foreshadowing rain.

He nearly missed what happened next- Robert took a casual yet sudden turn into the alleyway between a seven eleven and a block of flats. Matthew paused he was fearful of what he might find- was it just something like Robert was a junkie? _Is this far enough?_ He wondered. But he remembered the part from the CS Lewis book The Magicians Nephew. He had only been six or seven when his father had read him the series but it still stuck with him, the horror of a question going unanswered. But the consequences of the White Witch… it might not end well, what he would find. He knew what this could lead to, this discovery of truth.

But he was selfish.

He _had_ to know.

Matthew scuttled forward into the alley hoping it would be dark enough for him to go unnoticed. Robert himself seemed to be aiming for the opposite effect as he was walking in plain sight forward.

There was some other man down there- a drunk guy, slurring his words and stumbling as he tried to open a door. "Hey! HEY!" The guy yelled though Robert was less than a metre away from him. "Do you know how to open this door?" He grinned and stumbled over. Robert didn't even speak to him that was the worst part, Matthew would later reflect. Like the man was just livestock.

He pushed him over like he was a plush toy, not a human being. Matthew heard something crack and the man gave a cry of pain. Robert struck out like a cobra and snapped his neck with a practised ease.

Matthew screamed. Roberts head shot up and he stood there over the rapidly cooling body that had been alive not even ten seconds ago, with his eyes burning a vicious red. His teeth were long and sharp and _oh god oh god_ Matthew was going to die- he was going to-

He vomited. The smell of blood, the coppery stench was everywhere and the thing that had been his friend was covered in it. It was too much. Matthew stumbled up and with tears overflowing in his eyes he did the only thing he could think to do- run away.

Robert didn't try to stop him. And Matthew didn't look back.

 **Things are going to be kicking off now. I intend to entwine this with the twilight saga only as briefly as possible- it will be more about Matthews own journey and experiences than anything else. I guess I'm about half way through my plans for the first part that coincides with Twilight. Thank you for reading :)**


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